QPR backed to sign Oxford United star - 'he's exactly what we need' | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit wants to see Brian De Keersmaecker join the club before the end of the transfer window

QPR have had a clear direction in transfer windows over the past 12 months, and you can see the pieces slowly falling into place for Julien Stephan's side to mount a promotion push in the near future.

The Hoops have spent over a decade in the second tier now, finishing between 15th and 20th in seven of the last 10 seasons. But there's been an onus on building a young, exciting squad over the last year or so, and an air of excitement is building around Loftus Road as a result.

Exciting players from League One such as Kwame Poku, Rumarn Burrell and Richard Kone arrived last summer, with former loanee favourite Ronnie Edwards re-joining permanently in January.

This summer, Championship-level goalkeepers have been added alongside players who have performed at a high second-tier level, such as Glen Kamara and Dennis Cirkin, helping raise the level of other areas in the squad that otherwise weren't up to scratch last season.

QPR fan pundit wants Brian De Keersmaecker to help finalise a quality midfield at Loftus Road

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With QPR a few pieces of the puzzle away from being genuine dark horses for the play-offs this season, FLW's Hoops fan pundit, Louis Moir, hopes his side can add an all-action midfielder to the squad before the transfer window closes on September 1.

The fan pundit hopes that man could be Oxford United's Brian De Keersmaecker, who he believes is levels above League One, after registering seven goal contributions in 26 Championship games last year before a shoulder injury curtailed his campaign in January.

"I know we've been linked with him a few times, but I think Brian De Keersmaecker at Oxford," Moir said when asked about one player he'd love for QPR to sign before the window closes.

"He's a player I rate highly, and he's exactly what we need. We're one midfielder off of having a top-class one with a mix of everything; the defensive capabilities with Varane, nice, creative, tidy players like Kamara and Madsen.

"I think De Keersmaecker can add creativity and be that box-to-box midfielder that we've been missing for the last few years, really. He can kind of do it all, and I've been impressed every time I've seen him."

There are arguments to be made that if the Belgian midfielder could have stayed fit for the second half of the campaign, the Yellows could have staved off relegation last season. Now a League One player, Moir doesn't feel that the 26-year-old will want to stick around for long.

Oxford United's current transfer embargo will make Brian De Keersmaecker deal difficult to complete

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Ultimately, though, with Oxford under embargo and unable to register new players this summer, the stance has been clear at the Kassam Stadium - 'no one out unless we can replace them.'

Stan Mills has since seen that trend broken after Championship outfit Preston North End upped their bid to bring him in before an agreed January move, but even then, that outlines a real difficulty towards a deal being made.

De Keersmaecker reportedly has a release clause in his contract, so it's likely that, unless that's met, the Yellows will stand firm in their 'no more sales' stance before January.

"Obviously he's still at Oxford, and rumours say that clubs aren't willing to pay a release clause he has, but realistically, will he be in League One this season?" Moir questioned. "I don't know.

"Maybe someone will pay it, or maybe a deal can be made for slightly cheaper, but yeah, he's someone I really rate, and I think he'd be absolutely ideal for us. He'd slot into our team with the way we play football now, so for me, that'd be a signing I'd love to see."

A midfielder would be the prime target in the final days of the transfer window, but Moir also hopes that QPR can be aggressive and target some more forwards.

"If I'm being greedy, I'd love a central-midfielder, a striker and a left-winger coming in," he admitted. "Hopefully we can get two of those three; it might just be one, might not be any.

"Hopefully we can get more through the door before the deadline, and De Keersmaecker would be the main option if it were up to me."

QPR may see Stan Mills, Preston North End transfer as a precedent to bring Brian De Keersmaecker to Loftus Road

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Mills' move to Preston outlines that there is a possibility for Oxford to reluctantly lose some of their more integral players before the transfer window closes on September 1, if the price is right.

Granted, that does mean that QPR may have to spend over the odds, whether that be through paying a release clause fee or negotiating just under it, but it could be a possible deal to make.

De Keersmaecker hasn't played at all since that shoulder injury in January, ruling himself out of pre-season at the Kassam Stadium through illness, but he is currently in training working towards a first appearance of the campaign.

Oxford won't want to lose any more Championship-quality players before the window closes, with the inability to replace them with a similar level. From that perspective, a move for De Keersmaecker could be a step too far for QPR this summer.

But if the demand is still there in January, when this embargo looks to be lifted, there would be little stopping second-tier clubs from reigniting their interest.